Davis reports $1M in last-minute donations

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis reported raising nearly $1 million in the final several days before Election Day.

Democrat Wendy Davis has reported raising nearly $1 million in the final several days of the governor’s race, a majority of it from a few deep-pocketed donors who’ve long supported her.

Over the nine days leading to Election Day, Davis’ campaign took in about $987,000, according to campaign finance reports made public through Monday. More than a third of that total came from Democratic mega-donor Amber Mostyn, who last week cut a $367,000 check for Davis.

Roughly another third of Davis’ fundraising haul came in the form of five- or six-digit donations each from Houston investor Lillie Robertson, Dallas art collector Marguerite Hoffman and Jonathan Kraft, president of the New England Patriots. Mostyn, Robertson, Hoffman and Kraft have all previously chipped in hundreds of thousands of dollars to Davis’ campaign.

Davis spokesman Zac Petkanas said the campaign plans to spend the money on “final wrap-up expenses,” including personnel.

Davis’ Republican opponent, Greg Abbott, reported raising roughly $287,000 over the same period. A report due Tuesday that hasn’t been made public yet shows Abbott, the attorney general, has taken in another $56,721.76, according to his campaign.

Although the campaigns are not required to report their balances over the nine days leading to Election Day, Abbott almost certainly continues to best Davis in the category, having entered the homestretch with a roughly 13-to-1 cash-on-hand advantage over her. As the favorite to win Tuesday night, Abbott would likely head into office with a war chest large enough to clear the Republican field for governor in 2018.

The roughly $1 million Davis has raised in the final several days of the contest brings the overall fundraising total for her campaign account to about $25 million. That’s on top of the $13 million a Davis-linked committee had raked in as of late last month. Abbott’s campaign, meanwhile, closed in on Election Day having raised more than $45 million in total.